Once or twice after eating spicy food, you’ve felt that burning feeling called heartburn. Usually it goes away, but now you notice the burning feeling is happening a lot. You wonder if it is something more than just plain heartburn.

You could have acid reflux. If you do, you are not alone. In fact, according to the American College of Gastroenterology, over 60 million Americans suffer heartburn at least once a month, with 15 million feeling the burn daily. If you are one of these people, you need to see a professional. It’s time to make an appointment with Brookhaven Gastroenterology Associates, your digestive specialists in Suffolk County, New York.

Acid reflux occurs when the acidic stomach contents make their way up into the esophagus. There is a sphincter muscle that acts as a valve to protect the esophagus from stomach acid, but sometimes this valve can fail, resulting in stomach acid flowing upward into the esophagus, and you get heartburn.

There are some things you can do to help prevent acid reflux. You can try to:

Eat small meals

Avoid pressure on your abdomen from belts or certain exercises

Stop smoking

Lose weight

Stay upright for two to three hours after eating, don’t lie down

Avoid spicy foods

Take over-the-counter antacids

If you find yourself taking antacids continuously or you feel heartburn often, it can be developing into gastro-esophageal reflux disease, commonly called GERD. Common symptoms of the disease are:

Nausea and vomiting

Abdominal or chest pain

Dry coughing or wheezing

Throat problems

Erosion of your teeth

Bad breath

If your symptoms persist, it is important to see your gastroenterologist at Brookhaven Gastroenterology Associates, in Suffolk County, New York. The highly skilled specialists at Brookhaven can help with your heartburn or acid reflux, before it gets to be a more serious problem. Protect yourself, call today!